Busy bees...

This year I had a plethora of garlic.  Enough to make my first braid with plenty left over to plant this fall.   I have to say there is something very satisfying in not only harvesting, but also creating something beautiful from the garden.  That wasn't the end of my bounty.  I canned the carrots, peas, beans, and onions for stews and casseroles.  There is always raspberry jam.  It was great picking raspberries with my niece and teaching her how to make jam.  Finally, I bottled my rhubarb wine.  Now I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that I will get some sweet corn, egg plant, tomatoes, and maybe a pumpkin or two.  I am not certain as the temperature went from 90 degrees yesterday to 56 degrees today.

My flowers are plentiful.  I'm extremely happy with this year's garden.  I am improving at growing annuals.  After years struggling with growing hollyhocks here, I have some real beauties.  I am always a sucker for taking photos of the bees busy with action.  I love the dusting of pollen on their legs and the glint of sun on their wings.  As the saying goes, "the hum of bees is the voice of the garden."

This used to be my strawberry bed.  Now it holds cosmos, sunflowers, poppies, and there are pumpkins in there somewhere.

I finally have an established colony of peaches and cream hollyhocks.  I took a bouquet of them to school the other day and the students didn't believe they were real.  They thought the flowers were made of tissue paper.

She is very intent on making honey for winter.  I know how she feels.

Oops, I guess spiders have to eat, same as worms.

I am so impressed with borage.  My new favorite wrap is a spinach tortilla, ranch dressing, spinach, bacon, chicken, and borage flowers.  My nieces thought it was amazing to eat flowers that taste just like cucumbers. 

A very slow follow up on my rhubarb leaf bird bath.  It does hold water and it is HUGE.  Unfortunately, just like every birdhouse on our place, I have yet to see a bird use it.

Aren't these hollyhocks beautiful? A big thanks to my mother-in-law who kept supplying me with seeds until I finally got some to grow.

Probably my favorite summer flower are my AJ's Black Eyed Susan.  Given to me by a good friend.  They make beautiful sunshine drifts around the yard.

Last year the chipmunks planted sunflowers all over, so this year I didn't plant any.  My mistake.  This is the only one in my garden.  Live and learn.

I have the worst luck with onions.  They never get big.  I let them go to flower this year.  I'm leaving them in the ground, with hopes of having something bigger than a golf ball next year.

The bee balm is thriving this year.  It looks so nice against the yellow.

Yellows and reds are the colors of my summer garden.

With that lengthy dialogue, I will leave you with a few parting shots of the yard.  It is certainly green for August.  I hope you enjoyed the garden tour.  How does your garden grow?  Any hints to get larger onions?